Cold
by BoundlessBedtime
Summary: Aang returned eight days ago, yet Katara's bed is still vacant. And cold. Kataang lemon. One shot.


**It's been a while. So I changed my name for no reason...Anyways, I haven't written in a while, so don't hate this too harshly. I'm trying to explore new territory and style... ish. I wrote this all innocent-like and then it just sorta escalated into a lemon. My first lemon to be exact. But enough about me. Read on! Or don't.**

 **But yea, be warned.**

 **LEMON. for reals. Don't accidentally burn your eyes out.**

 **Oooooooooooooooooooo**

The bed was so cold.

Her feet felt numb beneath the covers and her hands frantically searched for a source of heat in the vast wasteland of ice. If her eyelids weren't so heavy, she would probably find plumes of her own breath billowing through the midnight air around her. Even the sheets felt frozen beneath her fidgety form.

Cold. And lonely.

A quick sweep of her arm told her that the space beside her was still cold and unoccupied. The cool, crisp sheets gliding across her knuckles were an icy reminder that she didn't need. A reminder that the bed had been empty for weeks, despite the return of the resident eight days ago.

She swallowed the pit in her stomach before it could blossom into a forest of emotions that would undoubtedly envelope her if given a chance.

It wasn't her fault. That's what the young Airbender had said as he had snatched a flat pillow and a knit blanket from the closet. But other than that statement, he had given her no explanation for the sudden wall erected between them.

Instead, he had ignored her attempts to talk and brushed away her contact- all the while, refusing to look into the sorrow that had taken residency in her eyes. That hurt.

So she absorbed the blows and spent her nights alone. And cold.

The worst part of her empty bed was the lack of reason. He had simply come back and pushed her and her love away. It had been an abrupt change and she was still in denial. Of course, she tried her best not to wander into the "why" territory, but occasionally her stupid mind would haplessly assume the worst.

Maybe he had met another girl in the month he had been working, someone with shinier hair, or better curves in all the right places. Maybe he realized that she wasn't worth the mighty Avatar's time. Maybe he just didn't love her anymore. Every time he had whispered "I love you" under the waning moonlight had been a well-played lie, and he was just trying to let her down easy.

The idea of this being permanent felt like a punch to the chest, collapsing her lungs with no warning.

With a jolt, she rose from her springs and gasped. One hand grabbed at her ribcage where her heart was most likely bleeding out. "Stop it" she screamed over and over within the recesses of her mind. She didn't deserve this agony. No person did.

Her throat felt dry when she attempted to swallow her grief, and a glass of water seemed like a plausible distraction from the torture of thinking. So she climbed out of her chrysalis of crinkled sheets and padded out of her room in search of the cooling liquid.

On her way to the kitchen, she passed the couch where a crumpled pile of fabric collected around the shape of a man- only the actual man was nonexistent.

Her speculations of his whereabouts were cut short the moment she stepped through the archway to the kitchen. Hovering in front of the sink-her destination- stood a six foot something shirtless man with a pair of yellow slacks hanging dangerously low on his hips. He faced away from her, but there was no mistaking who slumped over the sink. His pale back seems to consist of chorded muscles framing a bright blue line along his spine and leading to somewhere her mind refused to wander. Of course, the scar smack dab in the middle was the only break in he eternal chi the coursed through his veins.

Despite her entrance, he seemed distracted and gave no signs of awareness to her entrance. Upon closer inspection, she realized that he wasn't actually standing- it was more of a feeble attempt at leaning. The only support keeping his finely tuned torso off the ground were his pale arms grappling the counter on either side of him.

He seemed lonely. And cold. Like her.

But he deserved it didn't he? After all, he was the reason she couldn't sleep in the first place. Why should she be the only one to suffer? Plus, he had already proved countless times since his return that he didn't want her sympathy. Or love.

Her mind told her to simply turn around and let him lie in the ditch he had dug. It reveled in the payback that was being inflicted upon the avatar. In fact, her mind was completely fine with the scene playing out before her.

But her heart wasn't. And in the end, she only listened to her heart. Must be a water bender thing.

Carefully, she glided across the room until she was standing mere inches from his lean back. The temperature near him skyrocketed into delicious levels, and she indulged for a moment in the heat that had been absent for so long. Too long.

She hesitated though. There was a good chance that he would deny her as usual, and when he did, the radiator beneath his skin would also go poof.

But she reached out anyways.

Her tan arms circled around his waist, and she pulled herself into the satiny skin that lined his back. She brought her lips to his shoulder slowly and placed a butterfly kiss on the tender flesh before turning and resting a soft cheek along the ticking muscle.

At first, he simply melted into her embrace. There was no hesitance, no resistance. Only compliance. Only pure instinct. But as expected, it ended as soon as it had begun.

Before she could open her mouth to protest, he had stood up straight and pried her hands away from his core with his own lighter complexioned ones. Then just to top it off, he somehow pushed away from the counter and forced a path to the exit. Not even a word. Just pure rejection. Ouch.

He was about halfway when she finally got the nerve to speak up. To finally ask.

"Why?" Her voice was barely audible, but it was loud enough to stop him in his tracks. Yet he still didn't turn, and he still didn't answer. So she continued.

"Did I do something?" With every word, she could feel that pressure on her lungs lifting only to be replaced by the silence hanging in the air between them.

"Please! You owe me an explanation. At least give me that. You can hate me and ignore me and leave me, but you can't just keep me in the dark." At some point, her voice had cracked, and she knew that it wouldn't be long before the waterworks started. Each word seemed to slice through her throat on its way out, and by the end, her voice was somewhere between raspy and inaudible.

But it did elicit a response.

"You didn't do anything." Defeat reverberated from his deep voice.

"Ok. Ok. Well then tell me what the fuck is going on Aang. You won't even touch me anymore." The anger now lacing her voice was wasted on the placid monk as he started to turn and move out of the room once more.

"Aang. I swear. If you leave this room, I will leave. I will leave. And I won't come back." Her voice shook and she hoped to all the spirits that Aang wouldn't throw away their entire life with a few more indifferent steps.

"I know you're upset. I know something is wrong. And I know you think you can carry this burden. But you can't. You just can't." Her heart broke as she saw the outline of his face falter and reveal the real Aang. Not this steely man who refused to speak more than a sentence in her company. The real one- the one being torn apart at every limb.

In his moment of hesitation, she closed the space between them, so she was cradling his oh-so-cracked face in her palms.

"Just. Tell. Me."

"I can't." As he spoke, his eyelids flew open and finally revealed all the pain swimming in the depths of his liquid metal. She was about to plead for his cooperation, but her cries were cut short when he continued.

"I can't do this." Crestfallen.

"This?" She prepped herself for the final blow. This was the end. He really was tired of their lackluster relationship. All her fears had been true.

"I'm ruining everything. I'm a failure." Not the direction she expected, but she rolled with the hits. Although she did want to slap him if this low confidence was the reason he had thrown her away like an old toy.

"I let you down." When he looked at her, she swore those eyes shot beams of steel right through her heart. She had no words to describe the emotion. Sad was an understatement.

"What...? You didn't do anything." Her voice pleaded for him to understand that nothing he ever did could let her down.

"Yet." The word was sharp but it carried the load that had been riding around in those ghostly pale cheeks and husks of purple peeking out from beneath his eyes. His sudden worry of her future was seemingly out of nowhere. It didn't make sense.

So she asked that one question that she had avoided for eight days.

"Aang. What happened when you were gone?" The question was tentative, and even with her cooing tone, she could see his bulky shoulder muscles contract at the string of words. His gaze fled away from her own once more and he took a small step backwards.

"I killed her."

The words landed like a moth, soft against her anxious ears. But she didn't register a single word. She couldn't register a single word. Her Aang would never do such a thing. After all, he couldn't even take the life of a murderous dictator let alone kill some random girl. It was impossible.

So she waited for him to continue. There had to be a reason. Right?

"Her name was Evie. She was only eight- spirits, eight- and she had brown hair- like chocolate. She was an orphan. She was like me." His thick voice carried a weight that she could never fully understand. He took another breath and she thought she saw a shimmering tear slide down his downcast cheek- but it could have just been the light.

"Everytime I go to the fire nation, I stop by the orphanage. I like to bring goodies- and they like to take them. I always brought Evie ember flakes. She loved them more than that damn stuffed doll that she always had in tote."

Suddenly it occurred to her that he was speaking in past tense. A snake seemed to be curling at the base of her stomach as she listened to what would inevitably end horrifically.

"My second day on the visit, I had received a threat. It said that I was interfering too much- the usual rant. The crinkled note was just so juvenile, and I threw it away like all the other regular threats. I just threw it away. I should have known..." Cracks shocked his voice as the conclusion came into sight. She didn't need to hear it to know. Her arms flew out in instinct to hug him, but those strong hands caught her forearms before they could come anywhere near his shaking body.

"Don't, Katara." He warned, his voice hissing out of his teeth as he kept his head low. His girl on her arms was biting but she couldn't bring herself to pull away.

"Aang... You don't need to finish. I understand."

"No. You don't understand. You can't understand. When I walked into that orphanage nine days ago, I found a little girl- with dreams, and hopes, and crushes, and aspirations- hanging from the end of a rope. Charred beyond recognition. I only knew it was her because of the doll hanging from her lifeless hand." Now the shake had spread from his body into his arms and hands. His fingers dug deeper into her tender forearms, sending waves of pain throughout her form, but she made no attempt to free herself from his torrents.

"Aang-"

"I killed her. Don't you fucking see? It was my selfishness that pushed her into that noose. I had been naive. And foolish. How are we supposed to have a family when I can't even guarantee your safety!?" His words rung with startling sense. It was true that she was pretty high on the hit list, but she had never thought twice about it. She had always assumed that everything would be airbenders and rainbows when she imagined her life with Aang. Their love was the stuff of legends. And legends didn't lose to the bad guys.

But she had never imagined charred children.

"What if that had been you hanging? Katara. I would die. I would stop breathing. Or worse." She didn't need an explanation of "worse". She knew what it looked like firsthand. Indeed, she had been on the scary avatar end of many of his losses. Her death would no doubt be a death sentence for many.

His stifled sobs echoed through the hollow kitchen as he continually held her at arm's distance. But his grip loosened. And gradually she felt the pressure dissipate against her now bruised skin. As his hands retreated, she took her chance to close the gap.

Her hug wasn't rejected this time.

With one hand, she led his face to rest on her shoulder, while the other hand struggled to pull him closer in any way that she could. And for the first time in weeks, he actually hugged her back.

His lanky arms seemed to snake around her, and his squeezing became one of desperation. Of need. And loss. That sweet warmth was finally hers again, but at what cost?

She turned her face so that her lips were inches away from his ear.

"I can't tell you that nothing bad is going to happen. I can't tell you that our life is going to be perfect. But I can tell you that the worst thing they can do to me is take you away. And that's what they are doing. Taking you away." Her whispers lulled on her tongue as if she was detailing a fairytale story into his ears.

"We can only live for the now. Don't you see? You can't change the past. It's not your fault. But it will be your fault if you leave."

His breathing seemed to slow to her words until it was in sync with her own internal metronome and for a moment they were the only thing that existed. But every moment is fleeting. That's why they are called moments.

"Do you know what the worst part is?" The words seemed to drop like stones in the calm the had settled over her consciousness despite his hushed tone.

"When I looked up at this poor little girl- who had died because of me- all I could think about was myself. How lucky I was to still have you. How lucky it was that they didn't take the most important part of me. I thanked every spirit that it wasn't you swinging in front of me. I was _thankful_ " The anguish was tangible as she absorbed his grating words. A chill ran down her spine at the meaning of his words. His torture was much worse than anything that could be physically inflicted because the torture came from his own mind.

"Aang." Her sob shook up the perpetual bliss that had overcome their moment. And just like that it was over. Their moment pulled away and left her arms empty.

And cold.

Again.

The shields seemed to reemerge from behind those steely eyes, and once again she found herself staring into a blank wall. He wanted so badly to protect her that he had forgotten what needed the real protection.

In front of her stood a man who had let the darkness seep through the cracks- consuming the innocence and happiness that had been his incentive all along.

She didn't know what was happening, but suddenly she was rushing forward, with no other goal than to hold onto him forever. Her frantic hands were clutching his jaw, begging for grip. Her eyes were clenched in an eternal hopefulness. And her lips were pressed against his own pleading mouth.

For a second there was resistance. There was the push that he had thrown against hers hugs and her pleas and her pitiful attempts at comfort. But his resolve ebbed and eventually he accepted the kiss with a fervor that had been absent for weeks.

He seemed to melt against her as a wild hand was pressed into her frazzled hair and another hastily guided her jaw deeper into his own. The touch was warm- hot, really- and her body flooded with all sorts of crazy responses.

But his need didn't stop there. It was as if all his pent up rage and self-loathing was somehow being converted into angry passion.

With no warning at all, he used his larger body weight to push their mangled bodies against the door jamb that had previously been housing their argument. For a split second he pulled his lips away and took a gasp of air before returning with an uncharted intensity. Since the door now held her head securely against his, he was able to maneuver his hands into a lower position on her hips.

When her night shirt rose at their movements, she could feel his fiery touch graze her freshly exposed midsection. His touch licked her skin like an untamed forest fire, sending heat to all the cold places. The small sweeps of skin became a drug and she needed more.

Without meaning to, she shoved Aang's barren chest away from her own, before grasping the useless fabric hanging on her torso and ripping up and away from her body. Before it was even over her face, she found Aang's own hands helping the cause. The instant her flesh was free, he crashed back into her like a wave on the shore.

The new exposure to him was euphoric and sent waves of heat deeper and lower into her body. She reveled in how soft her skin was against his flexing abdomen and the beautiful mixture of smooth against smooth. All those flames had combusted, leaving her sweating against his bare skin with no friction left between their gyrating bodies.

There was no hesitation when one hand wandered between their connection and followed the trail of his chorded muscles- sliding in the moisture and scratching the hard muscle at points.

His own hands followed suit as they found her still bound breasts. One hand made a quick slicing movement between them, and suddenly her bindings were cut away from her top-half. When his calloused hands returned, it met nothing but hot flesh. Like the aggressive kisses, his fingers seemed to squeeze with some sort of unseen rage and it was absolutely euphoric. Maybe it was just feeling the touch of him after so long.

The movements evoked a groan that erupted from deep within her throat. At the noise, his body somehow pushed closer to hers and one hand plummeted to her pant line. There was no warning before one finger ventured beneath, making her pull away so she could let out a high pitched scream.

Suddenly. Those firm muscular hands cupped her bottom and she was forced to pull her legs around his hips. Before she could question his motives, he transferred their entwined bodies to the dining table at the center of their quaint little kitchen.

With one sweep of his arm, he scattered the dishes and flower arrangements onto the floor and practically threw her body onto the newly cleared table. One hand remained cupped around her breast while the other practically ripped both her pajamas and undergarments down to her knees.

Now that he had full access, he slammed his hands against her unclothed thighs and yanked her whole body to the edge of the table, making her sweaty skin squeak against the hardwood that she had begged Aang to buy a month ago. The movement stung her naked back, and she let out a yelp of surprise.

If he was concerned about her, he gave no indication. Instead, he fumbled with his already loose pants, somehow moving them down while keeping one hand clasped to her thigh. Within seconds his sleeping attire fell, revealing the treasure at the end of those V lines.

With his hands free once more, he tore her legs open and aligned his hips with her own, which were already starting to shake with anticipation.

His manhood sent waves of heat rolling off, as he positioned it in front of her throbbing entrance. Now both hands had grappled at her hips for optimal leverage, squeezing without restraint into the soft flesh for purchase. Just as she was about to begin end her suffering, his tip moved in, and the rest followed with no time to spare.

With him finally inside her, she let out a deep shaky breath before he started. Their barren skin seemed to slap together as he shoved deeper into her folds, deeper into her. The rhythmic pounding left her breathless as she struggled to say how much she loved him. How she never wanted this to end.

His own deep, throaty groans sent her into an even deeper frenzy and she was sure that she couldn't even remember her own name. All she could remember was how hot it finally was. This was the type of heat she had been yearning for. No blanket could provide this satisfaction.

With her sweaty elbows, she slowly pushed herself up from the table, careful to keep him sheathed within her, and timed her own hips with his. They quickly gained a perfect synchronization. Faster and harder and faster.

The intensity that had consumed him only seemed to growls they went on, and his thrusts soon became too fast and rough for her to keep up. His force left her with something between moans and screams every time he moved in and out. The ferocity sprung leaks in her eyes and before long there was water streaming down her cheeks- whether from the pain or the simply orgasmic feelings, she was unsure.

Before long, her walls began to tighten around him as she reached her peak, and she screamed his name as loud as her lungs could bear. The release left her body quaking and gasping for any sort of air.

His orgasm quickly followed hers, filling her with his warm milky liquid. He let out a low guttural sound at that point, peppering her open skin with goosebumps.

Then they just collapsed against the table. And they breathed. His musky scent permeated every inch around her, and she couldn't help but bask in the smell. At some point he rolled off of her, and she whimpered at the loss of contact.

Eventually their gasps slowed down, and it wasn't long before his voice filled the silence once more.

"I'm sorry." The scratchy words erupted from his throat. Not what she had hoped for. She turned to look at him, but he kept his gaze glued to the ceiling above them.

"For what? For fucking me literally or figuratively?" She said with a shaky laugh. His response was evident when the muscle on his jaw started to twitch. For some reason, anger made the airbender the sexiest man alive. He turned to meet her gaze, but instead of locking with hers, his eyes wondered over her heaving body. For a second, she thought he was preparing himself for round two. But that was wishful thinking.

But upon further inspection, she realized that his eyes were lingering on her bruised arms, and her backside which was now blistering from being dragged across the wooden table. She could also taste metal on her lips, and it occurred to her that he had bit her somewhere in the scuffle. And she had no doubt in her mind that everything past her waist would be aching for a while.

The regret in his eyes welled up once more, and he moved his mouth in an attempt to apologize once more. But she beat him to the punch.

"Listen. I'm happy. I'm on top of the world. You don't need to apologize- for anything. I chose this for myself. You didn't force me into anything." Her raw emotions stung as they left her throat. She hoped he understood that she wasn't just referring to their wild bout of passion.

The moment she met him, she threw her life into the bowl of constant danger and perilous journeys. If she had wanted to live a normal life, she could have wallowed in the mediocrity of the South Pole.

"I love you, Aang. The question is, do you love me?... Are you willing to fight for me?" She didn't mean to seem selfish or desperate, but she needed an answer. She couldn't live in this state of limbo where her bed was constantly cold, and her moments of warmth were few with miles in between.

Slowly he flicked those brilliant gray eyes back to hers, and she saw that fire she had longed for. No- she didn't need a spark to fill her sheets. She needed a fire- a desire. She needed Aang and only Aang.

"I will always fight for you."

And she knew. She knew there was nothing but truth in those fiery words spoken by her airbender.

 **Ooooooooooooooooooo**

 **heh. So yea. There's mah story. Reviews would be much appreciated. I'm gonna try to be better about updating some old stories this summer and adding new ones. Oh and thanks for reading!**


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